Recently, drive circuits for driving liquid crystal cells in form of semiconductor chips are mounted on films. Conventionally, the film equipped with the semiconductor chip (COF, chip on film, also referred to as “COF mounting film for a liquid crystal display drive chip” hereinafter) is arranged between a liquid crystal display panel and a control circuit substrate.
FIG. 10 schematically shows that COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips are provided between a liquid crystal display panel and a control circuit substrate.
In FIG. 10, a reference numeral 102 is used to denote a liquid crystal display panel, 103 is used to denote a control circuit substrate, 111, 112 and 113 are used to denote COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips, while W1, W2 and W3 represent distances between the control circuit substrate 103 and the liquid crystal display panel 102.
In the case that W1, W2 and W3 are identical with each other, identical COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips 111, 112 and 113 may be used. However, in prior art, if the distance between the control circuit substrate 103 and the liquid crystal display panel 102 vary with position, COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips, which are differently shaped, are needed at different positions. This will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to accompany drawings.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view which illustratively shows that COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips with different shapes are employed when the distance between the control circuit substrate and the liquid crystal display panel varies with position.
In FIG. 2, 103 is used to denote a control circuit substrate, 111, 112 and 113 are used to denote COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips, 102 is used to denote a liquid crystal display panel, while W1, W2 and W3 represent the distances between the control circuit substrate 103 and the liquid crystal display panel 102.
As shown in FIG. 2, the shape of these COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips 111, 112 and 113 needs to be varied accordingly to accommodate the distances W1, W2 and W3.
Accordingly, in the case that the distance between the control circuit substrate 103 and the liquid crystal display panel 102 is un-uniform, such as in the case of a liquid crystal display unit with a curved display panel, COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips need to be provided between the curved liquid crystal display panel and the flat control circuit substrate. In such a case, COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips with different shapes are needed since the distances between the curved liquid crystal display panel and the flat control circuit substrate vary slightly at different positions.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating that COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips are arranged between the curved liquid crystal display panel and the flat control circuit substrate. In FIG. 3, 102 is used to denote the liquid crystal display panel, and W31, W32 and W33 represent the distances between the control circuit substrate and the liquid crystal display panel. The distances W31, W32 and W33 are slightly different from each other since the liquid crystal display panel in FIG. 3 is curved. Therefore, the shape for those COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips, which are provided to engage the control circuit substrate 103 with the liquid crystal display panel 102, needs to be slightly varied.
However, in such a situation, the manufacturing cost will increase markedly due to preparation of various COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips with different shapes and selection of COF mounting films for liquid crystal display drive chips with suitable shapes.
The related art is disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. H06-18914. The document is entirely incorporated herein by reference.